Phantom of the Kill out now for iOS and Android

After months of teasing, mobile tactical RPG Phantom of the Kill is now available worldwide for iOS and Android devices.

The first release by Fuji&gumi Games, Phantom of the Kill focuses on a group of human weapons – “Killer Princes” and “Killer Princesses” – developed to combat an overwhelming demon invasion.

Notably, the characters are imbued and named after mythical weapons throughout history, affecting both combat ability and personality. These range from the Japanese Masamune to the Roman Spear of Longinus or even the Norse Laevateinn.

As for real-world legends, Mamoru Oshii supervised the game’s animated opening. For anyone not familiar, Oshii’s past works include the successful Mobile Police Patlabor franchise and the highly-influential Ghost in the Shell movies – you owe it to yourself to watch them!

But what of gameplay?

Phantom of the Kill calls itself a full-scale tactical RPG and, going by the screenshots and trailers, it seems to be a fair description. The battles appear similar in fashion to the Fire Emblem series, where players have to consider formation, distances, and units in executing their turn – it doesn’t just boil down to swapping lane positions or deciding when to use an ability.

It’s certainly an interesting development for mobile RPGs, so much so that the Japanese release picked up the Google Play Best Game Award in 2015.

Fuji&gumi Games is a joint venture between Fuji Startup Ventures and gumi. The former is a part of the massive Fuji Media Holdings, which also owns the Fuji Television network. Essentially, it marries Fuji’s financial and marketing prowess with gumi’s mobile game track-record; and their successful pairing has already seen the release of their second mobile title in Japan.

For now, however, the rest of the world will have its hands busy with the first Fuji&gumi release.

Currently, there’s a Facebook sharing campaign going on to earn some milestone rewards, as well as a time-limited launch bonus where you can earn 1.5 times more experience. Don’t forget to do a batch download over WiFi too (it’s in the Menu window) for smoother gameplay.